To Bring You Back
by WriteAllTheStories
Summary: It's been nine years since Sarah ran the Labyrinth, not that she remembers it anyway. Home has not been so homey for awhile now. Sarah has a fierce desire to protect Toby from Irene, continues on with her life, and promises him new adventures. Toby also has some secrets he's been hiding from his elder sister, it seems he has some interesting friends that come around every so often.
1. Dusty Road

The hood of the dust blue sedan slammed shut as a frustrated girl ran her hand through her long, dark brown hair.

"Try it again, Toby!" Her voice was rough as she ran through all the car information she knew. The young boy crawled over the center dash to the driver's side. He turned the key in the ignition and listened. The engine revved, clanged a few times, and then stopped.

"Did you check the belts?" He asked as he craned his head out the driver's window.

"Yeah." She replied immediately.

Biting her thumbnail and cocking her head to the side, she assessed her knowledge further. Toby sighed and slammed his head down, accidentally setting off the alarm.

"Dammit Tobes!" She jumped as her heart skipped a beat, the horn bringing her from her deep thought process.

"Well… at least we know that works…" Toby informed her sheepishly. "Sorry, Sarah."

Sarah sighed and shooed him to the passenger seat as she sat in the driver's seat. They waited for a few minutes until she lifted her head, and stared determined at the dusty road before them. Sighing she heaved herself out of the car with her keys in her pocket.

"Come on kiddo. We have a long walk."

Toby groaned and grabbed two umbrellas from the trunk of the car. The duo slung backpacks over their shoulders, complete with two bottles of water each. Sarah counted the cash she had on hand, wondering what was wrong with the car and how much it would take to fix it. The car itself was only six years old but Sarah was the third owner. The two before her roughed it up a bit so she was able to take it for a steal of a price. It also only had thirty-four thousand miles. Sure, the mirror was duct taped on when she first got it… and still was… that would all be fixed with time and paychecks.

It was the first time in a while that the two were able to spend time together. But that would soon end. Throughout the years she noticed a change in her family dynamic. Her stepmother, Irene, grew more and more… aggressive. Her father was away so much on business that he was unable to be there for his children. Sure, they compromised time away from home with a fat paycheck, but Toby and Sarah missed their father. It was harder for them to be alone with Irene now.

* * *

 _It all started when Sarah turned sixteen. Her father had been laid off from work and their budget was tight for about a year. Of course, this caused marital issues. Her father and Irene soon argued once every week, to twice, and so on until it was two times a day. He soon found there was no way to insert logic into Irene's insane delusions about what she thought was going to happen to them. So he signed them up for marriage counseling. He already had one failed marriage, and damaged his child from it. He did not want it to happen again._

 _The counseling helped for a while. What really improved their situation was when he was offered a job opportunity for an executive chair in Konti Electronics. Irene was elated. Sarah was as well, thinking that the increased income would satisfy Irene's hunger and anger. The evil stepmother's mood improved even more once Robert was away on business, and she could spend however much she wanted to. That lasted for about a year. Soon after, Irene began to manage more bills for the household. Robert was not able to, being away on business and all. She began to see how much money was 'wasted' on the children. At this time Sarah was eighteen going on nineteen and headed for college. Irene did not like the thought of spending 'her' money on continuing Sarah's education. She started to talk Sarah down from attending college. Of course, like the bull she is Sarah did not back down from her dreams. The conversations escalated into arguments, and twice into physical fights. She struck Sarah twice the first time, rendering her unconscious. The second time Sarah held her ground and only fought defensively, attempting to block the hits from Irene. She was turning into a monster. Constantly complaining about how much money the children wasted, and said she might as well waste money herself. That's when the gambling addiction started. And from gambling and anger, came the alcoholism._

 _She was the perfect wife when Robert was home, always perfect for Robert. Sarah ended up taking a year off from any school before she attended college. It was up to her to raise funds to further her education. She cried the day she threw away the brochures for the acting college in central New York that partnered with Broadway. Instead she started a secret back account for Tanis Community College. She worked two jobs during that gap year, totaling 40-45 hours each week. She had to admit she saved up a good chunk of change, but Irene started to demand to see Sarah's paychecks. This was a fight Sarah won easily. She promised through clenched teeth that she would give Irene one hundred dollars from every paycheck she earned; to make up for 'her being a tremendous burden'. She soon had to fork over an extra fifty dollars to cover Toby's expenses. It was safe to say Sarah's bank account slowed after that._

 _Sarah had regular communication with her father, but told him not to tell Irene that they talk. He became suspicious, and paid more attention to the way Irene acted when he was home. Sarah was careful not to fully out Irene and her actions, she could put up with less money. If her father knew then it would be hell from Irene when he was not home. She could defend herself but she was worried about Toby while she was working. Home was not fun. Sarah tried to let the comments from Irene roll off her shoulders, and constantly assured Toby of his worth after a screaming session from Irene. During his next visit Robert noticed a bruise on Sarah's cheek, and nail marks on Irene's arm. He thought it was his imagination making him paranoid, so he thought nothing of it at first._

 _Sarah happily began her undergraduate degree in Film Production, with a minor in creative writing. If she couldn't act in theatres, at least she could be involved in the production of tv shows and movies. She excelled in most of her classes. There would always be one teacher here and there that was tough to impress, but she made dean's list every semester. She made a few great connections at the end of her sophomore year, and she was given a well paying job in a local theatre as an usher. She made her way up the chain to assistant manager by junior year. She worked about 20 hours a week, refreshing compared to her previous jobs. For her junior and senior year she partnered with Westwood State University and completed her degree with honors distinction._

 _Toby was quite the genius in his school as well. He developed a quick fascination to technology while Sarah was taking a class about lighting and cameras freshman year. His curiosity eventually lead him to website design. He was not quite sure what he wanted to do with his future. As no six-year-old typically does. He just knew he liked to watch his older sister work on homework for one of her prerequisite coding classes. Building a website from basic words and symbols fascinated him, it seemed like she was creating life._

 _Keeping her grades up was not easy. Not that she didn't understand the material, but because of her home life. The older Toby grew; the more Irene would lash out. It took Robert two years from his first suspicions to actually figure out that she occasionally beat Sarah. By the middle of her sophomore year, Sarah vowed that she would take Toby with her once she graduated. She declared it to her father during her junior year. Toby was ecstatic, while Robert fell into a depression. He failed his other child even though he tried so hard to not let it happen again. Sarah accompanied her father to counseling during her senior year, she refused to let him become anything close to Irene. As a graduation present Robert announced that he would be divorcing Irene. He allowed her a fair amount of fortune while the papers were being processed in order for her to leave the rest of the family alone. She gladly gave up custody of both children. The last part of the agreement hurt and confused Toby more than anyone. Sarah was good at helping him through his tough time, she was abandoned by her mother as well. She doubted Toby would ever fully recover from the thoughts of being abandoned, he was too sweet and caring. She herself struggled with her abandonment issues at times. Robert worked out the details with his company, stating that he needed to be home more after his divorce to take care of his son. It was a difficult process, as business never makes much room for children. But he accepted a position in an office only an hour away from their home with only occasional travel._

 _Throughout the years prior to the divorce she occasionally saw Toby sitting at his desk with one of his notebooks. His face was scrunched up in thought as he hurriedly wrote, filling up page after page. Sarah was happy he found journaling during their difficult times. She was worried he would be a child that bottled up all his emotions. Sarah did at times, but she mostly spoke her mind unless she knew Irene would deal out harsh punishments. She asked him about the journal, but he always avoided detail. She sighed, perhaps it somehow was damaging his masculinity talking about journaling to his elder sister. For birthday presents she would typically buy him packets of nice writing pens, all different colors. She bought him some nice stationary and higher quality sketchbooks. He began to draw much more frequently. His favorite letters to use were the ones with birds on them, he was quite a fan of birds._

 _He would occasionally leave a note to Sarah when she was working late or studying all night at school. It would always be in the center of her pillow when she eventually made her way back to her room. They warmed her heart, he typically said what he was excited for during the week or thanking her for being such a good sister. Sometimes he drew her pictures of birds, or faeries, or dragons. Sometimes when Irene was on a drunken rant, Sarah would come home to Toby sleeping on her floor in front of her floor length mirror. Sometimes he would be tucked into her bed with his favorite stuffed owl she got him for his fifth birthday._

 _Soon Toby asked if he could have a mirror in his room just like Sarah's. It was an odd request, but she bought one for him nonetheless. She passed his room once and swore she heard him talking to someone. Slowly she cracked the bedroom door and saw him sitting in front of the mirror, putting his drawing he made for her up to it._

 _"And this is what Sarah looks like now." He whispered as he glanced around and shoved another drawing against the mirror._

 _Sarah quirked an eyebrow and left him to his imagination, she never called him out on his quirks. He had enough of that from Irene. All Sarah did was keep an eye on him, just to make sure his fantasies never drifted too far from reality. It was important for children to have an escape from reality every once in a while. Occasionally she asked him why he drew so much, or why he wrote so many letters. Did he really have that many friends? He had trouble making friends, but she knew of his two closest buds._

* * *

Sarah was brought out of her thoughts as Toby grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the road.

* * *

(A/N)

Hello all! I fixed some of my run-on sentences and clarified the time before and after the divorce. I know the last issue was confusing for some. Run on sentences are something I constantly struggle with. Thank you all for your feedback though! It helps a lot. I hope my mistakes are not distracting you too much from the story. I also have the past in italics now so it is easier to distinguish time. I am not adept at organizing time differences, so I hope this helps slightly. If anyone has any suggestions or critiques I really appreciate it! Maybe point me to any references you think would benefit me. Mostly my grammar and punctuation. I have a book from college on grammar that I will re-read when I have the chance. I typically write late at night before I go to bed so there are lots of spelling errors I'm sure. I'll fix those when I see them. Okay, enough rambling. Enjoy! Thank you so much for reading!

11:19 - 06/05/2017


	2. His Book

"Come on, I'm hungry." He walked as fast as his little legs could take him, with his sister in tow. She soon took the lead as they walked.

"There's a gas station in a quarter mile where those hills start." Sarah pointed to the long dusty road ahead of them. Toby's eyes followed and he nodded.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the feeling of the warm pavement and sun. Sarah had just graduated a month and a half ago, and she was taking Toby on vacation to her father's vacation home Irene bought in North Carolina. That was one of the purchases Irene had that he actually agreed with. He was not for the yacht she purchased two years prior. He immediately sold that. A few questions bubbled into her mind as she hummed along.

"How was your last day school?" She asked as she glanced down towards him.

He smiled as he thought back to earlier today.

* * *

 _Everyone was very excited for school to end, all day his friends kept staring at the clock. Toby was excited because he knew as soon as the bell rang he would be able to run out the front doors and into Sarah_ _'_ _s car. Then their adventure would begin. He had two suitcases packed in her trunk, and snacks in his backpack. He also had a deck of cards, you never know when you might need them. He had been ready for three days now, it was a few months ago they started to plan their adventure. His leg shook anxiously as he looked to the clock, four minutes left. The teacher was praising the class for being so enjoyable during the year. They all appreciated it; but what they would appreciate even more was a certain sound to ring out throughout the halls. Toby clutched his book bag closer to him. He could feel the outline of **the** book he always liked to read, and a small bundle of his favorite stationary in the front pocket. It was two minutes until he was free. His stomach was tying its self in a knot. That annoying sour knot that happened when you had no patience left, when you were desperate. He almost felt sick to his stomach._

 _The teacher smiled and clapped her hands together, allowing the class to leave and beat the rush of the other students. It was still surprising to Toby how fast the evacuation of classrooms on the last day happens. He blinked and he was running among a crowd of his classmates. He saw the beautiful glass doors in front of him, they were twenty feet away. Fifteen feet. Ten. Five. He was out. He was gone! The bell rang as he ripped open the door to the dusty blue sedan parked in the front of the pick-up lot and flung himself inside._

 _"_ _Go! Go! Step on it!_ _"_

 _Sarah raised her eyebrows in amusement as she carefully pulled out of the parking lot. Purposefully making sure to check her surroundings extra slowly._

 _"_ _Hurry, Sarah! I want to leave now!_ _"_ _Toby was bouncing in his seat with anticipation. He wanted to see the rolling hills and mountains. He wanted to be away from his small hometown and relax on a porch with his sister. He wanted to write to his friend and not be scared of Irene walking in on them when he actually came to visit._

 _"_ _Hold your horses there, cowboy. Speed limits on country highways may just seem like a suggestion, but I can_ _'_ _t fight the school limits._ _"_ _She laughed as she tossed him a snack bag of Doritos from the seat behind her at the stoplight._ _"_ _You might want to snack on these. I don_ _'_ _t plan to stop for another three hours._ _"_

 _Toby grinned and immediately dug in, his sister was the best. He continued to munch away as they merged onto the freeway minutes later, successfully beating the after-school traffic, thanks to Toby_ _'_ _s amazing teacher._

 _"_ _When will we get there?_ _"_ _Toby asked as he threw the empty bag into a trash bag in the back seat._

 _Sarah tapped her thumbs against the steering wheel in thought._ _"_ _I_ _'_ _d say in twelve hours. I have money in my bag for two nights of motel stay in case we need it for some reason._ _"_

 _Toby nodded and brought out a sketchbook, ready to draw what he saw in the windows as they passed. Sarah raised her eyebrows as she saw the red leather bound book under the sketch book._

 _"_ _Why did you bring that hunk of junk?_ _"_

 _Toby raised his eyebrows in return as he ran his hands over the cool leather._ _"_ _I just always like having it._ _"_

 _"_ _The Labyrinth_ _…_ _I remember reading that book when I was younger. I never imagined you would be so into it._ _"_

 _Toby sighed sadly._ _"_ _Yeah_ _…_ _well_ _…_ _what do you remember about the story?_ _"_

 _"_ _Hmm_ _…_ _there_ _'_ _s a strong female lead character. She wishes her younger brother away, and is confronted by a king of some sort. They have a challenge and she has to travel through the evil king_ _'_ _s labyrinth by midnight in order to reclaim him. She succeeds and proves that the king cannot defeat her by any means._ _"_

 _"_ _There_ _'_ _s more to it than that though!_ _"_ _Toby exclaimed with a little too much energy._

 _Sarah jumped in surprise at his voice._ _"_ _Well, if you_ _'_ _re so into it don_ _'_ _t let me stop you. What else happens? I suppose my memory of it is foggy._ _"_

 _Toby narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms, staring at the dashboard he muttered a sentence to himself._

 _"_ _What was that?_ _"_ _Sarah asked, glancing over at him._

 _"_ _Nothing._ _"_ _He replied too quickly. Toby huffed and began to explain the rest of the story to her._ _"_ _The story has so much more to it than just a competition! It was about love! The point of the Labyrinth was to show the runner how to truly appreciate her family and learn how to love. In fact, the king fell in love with the runner!_ _"_

 _"_ _Is that so?_ _"_ _Sarah chuckled, admiring how much Toby loved the story._

 _"_ _Yes, it is so!_ _"_ _Toby mocked her._ _"_ _The king saw the girl for a while before she ran the Labyrinth, watching her and admiring her. Why do you think he personally showed up to take her brother and not just one of his goblins?_ _"_

 _Sarah shrugged._ _"_ _I had never thought of that before. I doubt that would be the reason. But it is suspicious that the king would show up for such a routine event._ _"_

 _"_ _It **was** the reason!_ _"_ _Toby muttered as he resumed his previous pouting position. He huffed and began to dramatically re-read the story to her. He especially drew out the scenes where the runner was being a bit dense, giving a little more annoyed detail than necessary. Throughout the read Sarah asked him if what he said was actually in the book._

 _"_ _I_ _'_ _m just telling it how it is._ _"_

 _"_ _Whatever helps you sleep at night, Tobes._ _"_

 _"_ _Just listen and remember._ _"_

 _"_ _Remember what?_ _"_ _Her thumbs rapped against the steering wheel._

 _"…_ _The story_ _…"_ _His voice was oddly lilted for a moment before he continued to described the howls of Ludo_ _'_ _s summons._

 _Sarah rolled her eyes, the kid was weird, but she loved him for it. She would support him in whatever he wanted, as long as it was good for him. Why not indulge in his obsession with the book. She was sure it was just a tool he used to keep himself at ease at home. She nodded along to his vivid storytelling, ooh-ing and ahh-ing here and there just to tease. He rolled his eyes when she commented on the flamboyancy of the Goblin King and his confusing manners towards the runner. It had taken up an hour or so. They were happily on track with Sarah_ _'_ _s schedule. That was_ _…_ _until the engine shuddered. The car lurched along the dusty country road, simultaneously Sarah threw out her arm in front of Toby to prevent his movement in case anything else happened. Sarah quickly pulled off to the side of the road and shut the car off. Toby groaned as she popped the hood and began to inspect._

* * *

(A/N)

Hello again! It's me. The uneducated author. Ha. So I totally forgot where they lived, as I have not seen the movie in a while. I searched for where their house was but Wikipedia was no help. I changed the vacation home from Arizona to the mountains of North Carolina. From New York to Arizona it is a 38 hour drive. New York to North Carolina is about 10 hours. It makes more sense. I also forgot the color of the cover of the book, for shame! How dare I call myself a fan. I believe I changed everything that needed to be corrected in this chapter. As always, message me or post a review stating what I need to change and where. Resources are always appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!

14:06 - 06-05-17


	3. Jay

"It was okay. I guess. I still don't like history. We were let out early though, thank god!"

Sarah smiled, she knew how smart her brother was. She also knew that his brain was a double-edged sword. ADHD was not an easy disability. Sure, it did not physically affect him as much as other disabilities, but it made school increasingly difficult. He was in honor's classes, but talked frequently and drew all class. The teachers made it clear that they did not appreciate his leg-shaking either. She and her father had attended many meetings where various teachers lectured them on Toby's potential, also his attention span and organization skills. Each time Sarah had become furious, but allowed her father to speak. He was just as angry but controlled it better. Toby's school did not understand mental disabilities and made little effort to assist Toby, and it angered Sarah to no end.

The teachers were not there when Toby would come home crying. The teacher would comment or joke about Toby being spacey, causing the whole class to laugh. They were not there when Toby would describe himself with the words his classmates used for him; spacy, stupid, forgetful. Sarah was aware of the personality traits and expected behavior others forced onto Toby. When he forgot something, or wasn't listening to someone they would often say something along the lines of, "Oh that's just Toby!". As though it were a corny comedy show. The staff and teachers often suggested that Toby be put on medication. Sarah scoffed each time, it's not as they haven't tried that before. She still remembered the day when she walked into his room and saw all the drawings of a monster and people surrounding it. Once Toby had come home from school she asked him what it was he drew. His response broke her heart. He said it was him. Him and his classmates. Sarah and her father immediately took Toby off of the medicine as he clearly had severe depression. He had been working hard for years now attempting to manage himself. Sure, he was a year or two less in social skills, but in certain ways he was much more mature than his classmates. Sarah told him many times the reason he gets made fun of is because everyone is jealous of him, and he should pay them no mind. He nodded and always went back to whatever he was working on. She knew he did not really listen to her, it was hard to see what's going on when you're in the middle of that sort of situation. Usually you can tell once it's over. Sarah just wished it would be over as soon as possible.

"Well that's good! How does it feel to be a sixth grader now?" Sarah asked as she and Toby began kicking a stone back and forth as they walked.

He dramatically wiped his brow and sighed. "It feels great, I get a new home room next year, and new teachers."

Sarah nodded. "Trust me Tobes, it will be so much better when you go to college. High school will be tough, but I know you can do it. In college you can choose who to be friends with, and the ones you don't like won't be around if you don't want them to be. You can choose the times of most of your classes, and you can typically choose your teacher."

Toby nodded, he was very interested in college. He was appreciative that his father was able to send him. This was not the typical thought process of a boy his age, but Toby had to grow up fast. Irene was not the best mother, and he had to learn how to adjust to her whims. He mostly agreed to whatever she wanted and let her chastise him in order to protect Sarah. He knew she always took the hardest hits, literally. He was as protective of her as she was of him now. He would often fantasize about how it would be living away from Irene, and did his best in school so she was not angry. He received mostly A's and three out of his six classes were honor's classes. His fantasizing of finding an opportunity to get away ended up with his desire to go to college. He wanted to go to a college far, far away. One that he never had to come home to. He even wanted to look overseas in England. But now that Irene was out of the picture he could relax a bit more. He never lost his desire to achieve anything, no matter who was in his life or not.

"How would you feel about taking a vacation in England next?" Sarah asked.

Toby smiled. "Yeah! That would be so cool! We've never been overseas."

"We would be able to see castles, Stonehenge, and maybe even some faeries." She nudged him in a teasing manner.

Toby rolled his eyes at his sister's stubbornness. "Faeries ARE real!"

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to go catch one."

Toby kicked the stone again. "You've caught one before, I know you have. I was there."

Raising her eyebrows, she looked down at her brother. "When?"

He shrugged. "When I was a baby."

Laughing she shook her head and continued walking, she could see the gas station getting closer. "You can remember from when you were a baby? Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"

He sighed once again, he sighed a lot when this conversation was brought up. Her stubbornness on the matter annoyed him to no end at times. He still loved her dearly though, he just wished she would remember. He paused for a moment before he spoke again.

"…My friend J has seen faeries before too."

"I've never met this Jay." Sarah responded curiously.

"I know. But he has. He's seen the same one you've seen… well… sort of. I guess. In a way." He rambled off.

"You should invite him over sometime, I'd love to meet one of your friends. I only have met Dan and Evan before."

Toby nodded and mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" She asked him, clearly confused as she only picked up part of his sentence.

"Nothing." Toby replied quickly.

"You should seriously invite him over when we get back! It's summer break. I'll buy you two ice cream or we can go somewhere. Invite Dan and Evan too if he would feel comfortable with more people."

"Hey, look! Station!" Toby quickly cut her off as he began to run to the gas station that was now only two hundred feet in front of them. Sarah rolled her eyes at his switch in conversation, but jogged along nonetheless.

Once they entered the station Sarah was quickly assisted by a female employee. Sarah told her what went wrong with the car, and then the girl said she would tow it to the station free of charge. They exchanged formalities as she introduced herself as Jenny. Jenny readied her tow truck and left for the car. Within thirty minutes the car was brought back and examined. She charged Sarah $100 for the parts and labor. Sarah of course thought that was a bit steep, but did not argue as they were literally in the middle of nowhere. Sarah handed over the cash and within an hour the car was ready. Jenny filled the tank up when she was done and then bid them farewell. Sarah took the business card for her towing services and then set off to their destination. They continued along the winding country road, singing to corny over-played travel music and setting up their agenda during their vacation. There was a ranch nearby that Toby wanted to visit and go horseback riding. Sarah wanted to explore the area around the house, she was sure she heard Irene talking about a hidden spring nearby it. This vacation was practically free of charge other than transportation, of course that was their main motive. Yes, their father could afford to send them anywhere. They refused to take any of his money other than for eating expenses. They were afraid of what money could do to a person, and they did not want to turn into Irene. Call that an irrational fear or not, it was something they instilled into their brains during the years of abuse.

After four more hours of traveling, the sun was low in the sky. Sarah took the nearest exit into a small town and pulled into the parking lot of the nearest restaurant. Toby gave an appreciative sigh as he ran into the diner and into the bathroom. Sarah could travel for a while without a bathroom, far more than Toby could. Sarah told the hostess a table for two, and she then lead them into a booth in the back-left corner. Toby joined and ordered a cheese burger with fries. Sarah had a chicken tender basket and fries. The waitress returned with their drinks and then their food soon after.

"Thank you…" Sarah paused as she did not know the waitress's name.

"Op! Sorry, I guess I forgot. It's Precious." The waitress said before she laughed and walked to the back.

 _"_ _You Precious thing_ _…"_

Sarah tilted her head up to Toby. "What did you say?"

Toby shrugged as his mouth was full of food. "Nufthin."

Sarah shrugged it off and began to eat her own food. There was not much conversation as they both devoured their meals. Sarah delivered her tip to Precious as they left. Her body seemed to pause as Precious's bright blue eyes bore into Sarah's forest green ones. Sarah immediately turned and walked out the front door, she felt strange. Toby's eyes went wide as the waitress watched Sarah leave, winked at Toby, and then disappeared into thin air. A similar looking waitress then emerged from the back, arguing with the chef that she never put in an order from table 7. Her eyes also went wide as she saw the remains of two meals and a decent tip on the front counter. Toby scurried out the front door to his sister, demanding that they get back on the road.

* * *

It had been nine hours and three stops later, but they were finally there. Sarah pulled into the long driveway of the manor and began to unload their items into the garage. Both of the siblings took their luggage up to their rooms, exhausted from their trip. They chose the two biggest rooms next to each other on the second floor, close to the stairs and both connected to a bathroom of their own. Sarah sighed as she collapsed into her king-sized bed in the center of the red and black room.

Toby threw one of his bags into the corner of his room. He glanced around before making his way to his sister's room, peeking in to see her fast asleep. He sighed in relief as he made his way back to his room, sitting down in front of his full-length mirror. Within a few seconds, he saw the same pair of bright blue eyes from before.

"So… are you ever going to actually show yourself to her? Or are you going to keep playing?"

"When is it ever polite to refer to a King by only his first initial?"

Toby sighed as a tall man exited the mirror. Toby looked up at the regal figure. His blonde hair wild, his eyes mismatched but alluring. He took a stance of defensiveness as he retorted to the younger boy. His pearly white poet's shirt exposed the top of his chest, while his black slacks clung tight to his body. Dark worn brown boots covered his feet as he tapped his foot, clearly irritated.

Toby shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It's not my fault she thinks it means Jay, and not Jareth."

* * *

(A/N)

First of all.

I **still** don't understand how I thought Stonehenge was in **_Ireland_**. As always, I typically write these late at night. I really should put a bit more time into re-reading my work before posting it. As always, I really appreciate the feedback! Message me to let me know if anything is wrong in my story, or if you just want to say hi. I'm fine with that too. Reviews help too! I really want to know what you guys think of my work, feedback is very important to me. Anyways, thanks for reading! I'm in a creative mood so I'll start the next chapter right now. See you guys later. 😊

14:58 - 06-05-17


	4. Dream

Jareth huffed in frustration as he sat on the bed. Toby grinned and looked up to him.

"Sarah's in the other room… if you wanted to see her."

Jareth sat ridged as he stared intensely at the wall in front of him.

"If I had wanted to see her I would have done it long ago, young Toby. She's… _always_ been in the next room."

Toby rolled his eyes and began unpacking his bags. He glanced at the clock on the wall, it was almost five in the morning. Sarah had drove through most of the night, she did not like stopping much. He was tired, the sugar high from all of the junk food was letting down now. Within ten minutes he knew he would be out.

"There's a name for people like you here." Toby said as he messily stuffed shirts into a drawer.

Jareth raised his eyebrow and looked to the boy. "What would that be?"

"A coward."

Jareth let out a noise of protest before crossing his arms and glaring at the young boy. "I do not understand how you believe I would fit that category. I am plenty brave. I am a King after all!"

"A king of cowards." Toby snidely commented before running and jumping onto the opposite side of the bed of Jareth.

"That is enough from you." Jareth hissed as he stood from the bed.

"You'll hear more tomorrow. And the day after that, and the one after that. For months, and weeks, and years. Centuries and eons. Until you talk to her. I can talk for quite some time you know. I've been voted most talkative in my class three years in a row now. You want to hear me talk more?"

Jareth groaned and leaned against the wall, putting his head into his hands. He was well aware of Toby's ability to talk. It was almost as strong as Sarah's stubbornness. Toby seemed to possess her trait to a certain degree as well. Jareth stood from the bed and patted the boy's head.

"There are very good reasons behind my behavior. Know that. Goodnight, Toby."

Toby sighed and rolled over, mumbling a quick goodnight as well.

Jareth sat in the armchair in the corner of the room for a good half hour before he heard Toby's breathing slow into a relaxed pattern. Jareth slowly and quietly removed himself from the chair and crept towards the slightly ajar door, closing it silently behind him to not wake the boy. Taking a few steps down the hall he glanced to his right, staring at a closed oak door. He ran his hands through his hair with a mix of emotions. The time was not right. He continued throughout the house to learn the layout. Being in unfamiliar surroundings unnerved him at times. After another half hour of aimless wandering, Jareth sat himself in a leather armchair next to a fireplace in one of the main living rooms on the first floor. With a flick of his hand the logs were ignited and a warm sensation slowly flooded the room. He allowed himself to relax as he propped his feet up on the coffee table. Thoughts about the two humans currently residing in the vacation home swirled in his head. The more he thought, the more it exhausted him. He occasionally came to the aboveground to relax and take a break from his duties. Tonight was just one of those nights where it wasn't working. He left his regal business behind, but this time more emotional stresses weighed him down even further.

* * *

"Sarah…"

A deep voice called to her. She looked up from the book she was reading to find herself suddenly in a different location. Stone walls surrounded her. She jumped in surprise and stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do. The thunderous sound of stone grinding on stone filled her ears as the wall to her left shifted, swinging to her right. She dropped her book as she shielded her ears and winced. The pathway that was just in front of her was now closed, and the walls directed her a new way. Once the stones settled she took a deep breath and turned to her left. Closing her eyes, she shook her head, opening them to see the same scene. Her eyes closed once again as she reached to her left arm and pinched her skin tightly. She winced once again.

"Okay. Well. This is obviously a dream, even if that didn't work…" She began to mumble to herself.

She shrugged and slowly advanced down the path in front of her. She attempted to draw in all of the details surrounding her as she walked. The crunching of the uneven stones beneath her feet. The slight musty smell to the air. Deep green vines overtaking a few walls as she advanced. A slight breeze blew through her path as she continued, suddenly energizing her. She felt as if she was forgetting something, a goal of some sort. She paused as she held her chin between her thumb and finger pensively. Turning her face to the sky she watched birds fly over the high walls, then she continued on her way.

"Sarah!"

She jumped as she heard her name being called out from somewhere within this maze. It was undoubtedly a man. A part of her was curious and wanted to run to the source. Another part of her was weary and wanted to slink away against the walls. The war within her caused her to stay in place for a minute, before she shook head and continued. The breeze held an energy to it that was slowly beginning to fuel her. Her pace increased, she was now jogging through the maze. The stone walls seemed to slowly shift from old to newer construction. Thinner and younger vines overgrew less of this portion, and adorned small bright flowers in multiple colors. The stone beneath became smoother and was less hazardous. The breeze picked up more as it began to push her along the path, Sarah swore she felt as if something was guiding her. She felt… different. A sort of completed feeling. It was very difficult and bizarre to describe. It felt refreshing nonetheless. Her foot caught on an exposed root and she fell towards the wall in front of her. Throwing her hands out she caught herself against the wall as she followed the right turn down the path.

Gasping she threw herself back once her hands made contact. As they touched the wall, a surge of energy filled her body not quite like anything she had felt before. It held her body still, freezing everything except her mind. There was only one thing she could think of. It filled her mind. It was as if something was screaming it, shoving it deep inside her mind. It wanted her to think it, to say it. And she wanted to. She wanted to desperately. Confused and unexpected tears filled her eyes as she regained movement. She placed her forehead against the wall in front of her. Feeling the energy surge into her body from the contact, the word overtook her. It was her.

"Labyrinth. I'm in **_my_** Labyrinth."

* * *

"Sarah! Wake up!" Toby jumped onto the large bed his sister was sleeping on. "Wake up! Wake up! Don't sleep all day, we have things to do! I'm hungry!"

He continued to hop on the bed, jostling Sarah awake.

"Ugh… You could have… opened the blinds or something Toby." She mumbled as she attempted to open her eyes.

"I did!" Toby dramatically motioned to the curtains which were indeed drawn.

Sarah blinked and adjusted her sight to the light flooding the room.

"I must have been out..." She grimaced as she was still currently being bounced around from the force of Toby's jumps.

"Let me get a shower and then I'll whip us up something. We might have to go into town though"

Toby nodded, satisfaction flooding his face as he jumped down and ran out of the room. Sarah huffed an exhausted laugh and gathered her clothes for the day before heading into the shower. She took a quick shower, and felt like she was forgetting something. She knew she had a strange dream last night, but she couldn't recall it for the life of her. She decided to let it go and come back to the thought later. The cupboards downstairs were practically barren. Toby made sure she knew by opening every single one as she came down the stairs. He began to quietly mumble and whine, something Sarah was used to when he didn't eat. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her keys.

"Well, we can go to a local place. I'm feeling eggs today, what about you?"

Toby grinned and immediately raced to the car. "PANCAKES!"

Sarah facepalmed at the thought of giving him sugar this early in the morning, especially given his current level of energy.

"Well… we're on vacation. We might as well live it up."

With that they were on their way. The figure in the house frowned as he watched them vanish from his view.

* * *

(A/N) I apologize for the month or two wait! I moved in earlier in August but I just got my internet connection two days ago, so now I can finally write and stop staring at my ceiling.


End file.
